AgrEvo admits pollution

AGROCHEMICAL firm AgrEvo UK has been ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £4413 for polluting a Cambridgeshire river last year.

The company pleaded guilty at Cambridge Magistrates Court to a charge of
polluting the river Riddy, which flows into the river Cam.

The case was brought by the Environment Agency after a member of the public
reported an orange-coloured discharge seeping from an outfall at AgrEvos
Hauxton plant. Analysis identified the discharge as groundwater contaminated
with iron ore deposits.

Environment Agency planning manager Paul Waldron said the seepage had occurred as a result of a misconnection of pipes during environmental improvement work at the plant.

He said the company was fully aware of the polluting potential of the water it
was dealing with, but its management systems had failed.

For this and other stories, see Farmers Weekly, 27 March-2 April, 1998